data

Geek Tip

Security Tips For Data Privacy Day!

It's Data Privacy Day, so we're here to give you 10 tips to keeping your computer safe, secure, and totally private.

It's Data Privacy Day, so we're here to give you 10 tips to keeping your computer safe, secure, and totally private. Nothing is worse than having your computer hacked into, your personal information stolen, or becoming a victim of fraud. We've rounded up all of our best tech advice to help keep your computer protected and free from hacker malice. If you haven't implemented these 10 tidbits yet, today is the perfect day to begin to take charge of your computer's safety.

  • Avoid fraud: Be wary of emails, calls, and log-in screens that ask you to verify all of your information. Always air on the side of precaution when sharing more sensitive information like banking passwords. If a company reaches out to you (rather than you personally reaching out to them), don't give your personal information out. Redial the number or email the company using the information posted on their website.
  • Set up a hack-proof password: When logging in to websites, come up with difficult and different passwords for each site, using a variety of letters, numbers, and symbols. Change it every couple of months for additional safety.
  • Double-check your firewall: Most computers have a built-in firewall that protects your computer by stopping hackers and malicious software from accessing your computer via the Internet. Make sure to keep your firewall setting on, and you could even customize what websites, domains, and IP addresses you want to access from your computer.
  • Forget about free public WiFi: Hackers often create fake networks, titling them "Free Public WiFi" in hopes of stealing your personal data. Even if the WiFi is legit, it's still dangerous to access private information in an unsecured network. Always opt to pay the small fee for a service that requires you to log-in to an official network.
  • Safely search for celebrities: Googling your favorite celebrities can be a dangerous business if you don't recognize the sites you are clicking on. Many Google results of famous celebrity names lead to infecting your PC with malware and viruses.

See more tips to better privacy.

Tech News

iPhone 4S Shown to Guzzle Most Data: Here's How to Check Your iPhone Usage

Bloomberg released a report today detailing how Siri has caused a jump in data usage for iPhone 4S customers.

Bloomberg released a report today detailing how Siri has caused a jump in data usage for iPhone 4S customers. Utilizing Siri's voice recognition abilities to send texts, emails, get directions, and more, iPhone 4S users have been shown to use double the amount of data than that of iPhone 4 owners. AT&T and Verizon customers are familiar with the pain (and cost) of going over data limits, so staying on top of usage has become an important part of owning a smartphone. How can you check your iPhone's data usage? Read below to find out!

There are a few ways to check your usage, one being to head to AT&T's wireless website, log into your account, and create a billing report (under " Bills and Payments," click "Create Billing Report," and "Data Usage Trend"), which gives you a detailed graph on how much data you're using. You can also estimate how much you use with your provider's online data calculator. You can find your usage for Verizon and Sprint by logging into your accounts, but you can also check your data usage right on your phone.

First, head to your iPhone's settings app. Scroll down to "General," then click on "usage." You'll see your minute breakdown, but at the very bottom you'll see your data usage (sending and receiving) over the cellular network. If you've never reset your stats, you'll find that this number will be fairly high. You can reset your statistics today (by hitting the "Reset Statistics" button at the bottom of the screen), and check back in a week to get a rough estimate of just how much bandwidth you're eating up each month.

Geek Tip

Geek Tips For Keeping Your Cell Phone Bill in Check

We never need an excuse to save a few bucks, and if your cell phone bill has been spiraling out of control recently, it's likely that you're going over your data allotments and sending too many texts.

We never need an excuse to save a few bucks, and if your cell phone bill has been spiraling out of control recently, it's likely that you're going over your data allotments and sending too many texts. Keep it all in check by following these simple tips every day in order to save some cash each month.

  • Use WiFi where you can — Instead of downloading apps, making Google Voice calls, or browsing the web over your cellular or 3G connection, find a WiFi hotspot or use your home's WiFi network instead. This will keep your data charges down.
  • Turn your iPhone's "Fetch" and "Push" off — I have my iPhone set to "fetch" my data every 30 minutes, and a ton of apps set to push new messages and alerts as they happen. This is great for keeping up with news and messages when I'm at home, but very bad if I'm out and about (or worse — traveling abroad) since it uses 3G data instead of my known WiFi networks. Turn your "fetch" functions off on your iPhone, just go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, and Calendars > Fetch New Data > Manually. You can also turn off your email and calendar "push" from this screen. To turn off app "push" notifications, head to Settings > Notifications, then switch to off.

See more tips when you read more

How To

How to Track Your Data Usage Online and On Your Mobile

Unfortunately for us Internet obsessed, data caps are becoming the norm among wireless providers and ISPs alike.

Unfortunately for us Internet obsessed, data caps are becoming the norm among wireless providers and ISPs alike. AT&T initiated its data cap this month, and while your cell phone data caps may be easier to track, how do you keep tabs on the data you're using at home? Check out these tools, apps, sites, and tricks that can help you stay on top of how much data you're using at home and on the go.

  • iPhone — Check your iPhone's data usage from AT&T, or just use this simple hack that's already on your phone.
  • AT&T — Sign into your AT&T account from the link to see how much data you've used, and how much you have left to guzzle down before you're subject to overage fees. You can see your usage by month, and check out your averages.

See how to stay on top of your Comcast and Android data after the break.

Tech

5 Facts About Americans and Tech Maintenance

National Backup Day was just last week, but how many of you actually backed up your computer data?
Would You Rather?

National Backup Day was just last week, but how many of you actually backed up your computer data? How many of you perform routine maintenance (like software updates) on your computers on a regular basis? According to a new study performed by Zogby International and Staples, not many! Get the details on how Americans feel about their tech IQ, and how to overcome your fears in this slideshow.

News

AT&T Updating LaptopConnect Data Plans, Prices

AT&T has been making a lot of changes lately.

AT&T has been making a lot of changes lately. First it made changes to its data plans and prices, then updates its messaging plans, all the while trying to keep customers happy and on board with deals and discounts. Next up? LaptopConnect plans. According to a leaked document, it seems that AT&T will soon be releasing a "promotional" data plan for laptop users on the go — $35 for 3GB of data (previously 200MB). Additionally, the 5GB plan price will be reduced to $50 from $60, essentially charging LaptopConnect users only $10 per 1GB (and $10 for every 1GB over the limit) for all plans.

It's a good deal, but there's no word on when the "promotional" 3GB plan will expire. Jet-setters better jump on it when they can.

How To

How-To: Turn Your iPod Touch Into a Phone

If you're on a budget, a data-heavy smartphone package may not be the best situation for your pocketbook (especially now that both Verizon and AT&T have changed their data and text messaging packages), but sacrificing efficiency for a dumbphone may not be an option either.

If you're on a budget, a data-heavy smartphone package may not be the best situation for your pocketbook (especially now that both Verizon and AT&T have changed their data and text messaging packages), but sacrificing efficiency for a dumbphone may not be an option either. Thankfully, you have a third option: an iPod Touch. If you think that an iPod Touch can't suffice for a cheap alternative to a full-fledged iPhone, you may be surprised. Check just two ways you can function on the fly with an iPod Touch as your cellphone.

  • Apps and WiFi — Your iPod Touch may be WiFi-only, but that doesn't mean you can't make calls. Apps like Skype and Fring will allow you to make calls over a connection, while Google Voice will even let you get voicemail messages, send SMS text messages, and forward calls from your home line to your new (albeit slightly jimmy-rigged) cell.

Find out how else you could create an iPod Touch workaround after the break.

News

What's Worse: Cable, Internet, or Phone Data Issues?

The nation's largest broadband provider experienced a notable Internet outage this past weekend, leaving some unlucky East Coast subscribers without Internet access for hours.

The nation's largest broadband provider experienced a notable Internet outage this past weekend, leaving some unlucky East Coast subscribers without Internet access for hours. The issue was resolved (most people just had to reset their modems after the company figured it out), but we all know how frustrating connectivity issues can be, especially when you're scouting out Cyber Monday deals .

Our mad-for-connection culture is completely reliant on working signals, which means outrages can wreak utter havoc on our lives. My neighborhood's cable is especially temperamental, which means I have to restart my DVR almost monthly (and often lose recordings or settings). Thankfully, I rarely have Internet issues save enormous storm days when the power is out completely. Which connection conundrum do you suffer from most?

News

Netflix Watch Instantly App Appears; Why You Should Beware

The day has finally arrived!

The day has finally arrived! We've been waiting anxiously for the newly updated Netflix App (free) for iPhone and iPod Touch, and it has finally hit the App Store this morning. The new app allows you to connect your Netflix subscription (starting at $9 a month) to your device, watch movies and TV shows instantly, add and remove titles from your instant queue, and stream flicks over WiFi or 3G.

The app, which has been optimized for the iPhone 4's multitasking abilities (but not its retina display), allows viewers to fast forward and rewind, pause, and even resume where you last left off from your TV or computer with just a tap. The movies and TV episodes are categorized by genre so you can track them down easily, and there's even a "search" field if you're hunting down a particular title. This app is great for movie buffs and TV fans who can't go too long without a fix and would definitely come in handy for kids and parents alike while traveling on the road or in the air.

Not to be a buzz-kill, but there is a downside to all this movie streaming goodness. Find out what it is after the break.

Apple

iPhone 4 FaceTime Feature Doesn't Suck Down Your Data

One of the major selling points of the iPhone 4 is the arrival of FaceTime video calling.

One of the major selling points of the iPhone 4 is the arrival of FaceTime video calling. The feature uses the iPhone's front and rear cameras to make face-to-face video calls, which can be great for families chatting from long distance, or saying hi to a faraway friend. But with the newly lowered limits on AT&T's data plans, you may be wondering: will these FaceTime calls be using up my data allowance?

No, and even better, Apple says these calls won't be eating up your voice minutes either. FaceTime calls are made over WiFi only, so you'll be free to make them anywhere you can find a WiFi signal (like Starbucks, perhaps?), without using carrier minutes, or any MB from your smartphone data plans. However, you'll need to start taking into account your data budget when (and if) AT&T starts allowing FaceTime calls over 3G. I'd stick to WiFi either way if I were you.